The Stories of Christmas | You Are Essential

If the foot says, "I'm not part of the body because I'm not a hand," does that mean it's not part of the body? If the ear says, "I'm not part of the body because I'm not an eye," does that mean it's not part of the body?

1 Corinthians 12:15-16 (CEB)

In yesterday's devotional, we talked about people who think they don't need others. But today, Paul’s going to talk about the flip side…people who think they're not needed.

The Corinthian church had people who looked at others' impressive gifts and thought, "Well, I guess I'm not that important." They saw people speaking in tongues, performing miracles, and prophesying, and they thought, "I can't do any of that. So I must not really matter."

So Paul asks a simple question: If the foot says, "I'm not part of the body because I'm not a hand," does that make it true? Of course not. The foot is still part of the body whether it feels like it or not. You see, your feelings about your value don't change your value. 

One of the quickest ways to feel unneeded is to compare yourself to someone else. You see what they can do and think, "I could never do that." You see how God uses them and think, "God doesn't use me like that."

But here's the problem with comparison: You're comparing your behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel. You see their strengths and your weaknesses. You see their gifts and your limitations. And you come to the false conclusion that you're not as important.

But a foot isn't less important than a hand just because it does something different. An ear isn't less valuable than an eye just because it has a different function. Every part of the body has a purpose. Every part of the body is essential. And that includes you.

Some of the most important work in the body of Christ happens quietly. It happens in conversations no one else hears. It happens in prayers no one else knows about. It happens in small acts of kindness that never make the announcements.

You might not be the most visible person in your church. You might not have the most impressive gifts. But that doesn't mean you're not essential. Maybe you're the person who always shows up to set up chairs. Maybe you're the one who remembers people's names and makes them feel welcomed. Maybe you're the one who prays faithfully for others. Maybe you're the one who sends encouraging texts or makes meals or listens without judging.

That matters. It might not get you on stage. It might not get you recognized. But it matters. Because the body needs feet just as much as it needs hands. The body needs ears just as much as it needs eyes. And the church needs you just as much as it needs anyone else.

So if you've been feeling like you don't matter...you're wrong. If you've been thinking the church would be fine without you...it wouldn't. If you've been believing the lie that you're not important...it's time to stop.

You are part of the body. You are essential. You are needed. Not because of what you can do. Not because of how impressive your gifts are. But because God made you part of this body. And a body isn't complete when it's missing parts.

So stop comparing yourself to others. Stop minimizing your contribution. Stop believing the lie that you don't matter.

You do matter. The church needs you. And we're not complete without you.

Prayer

God, it's hard not to compare myself to others. It's hard not to feel insignificant when I look at what other people can do. But you're reminding me that every part of the body matters—including me. Help me to stop devaluing what you've called me to do. Help me to embrace my role in the body, even if it's not the most visible or impressive. Remind me that you made me exactly who I am for a reason, and that reason matters. Thank you for making me part of your body. Amen.